New Delhi, Mar 1 (PTI) Farmer leaders on Tuesday welcomed the Delhi government's move to withdraw cases lodged against farmers during the anti-farm law stir and urged the Centre to fulfil other promises too, including the formation of a committee on MSP.

They said the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) – an umbrella body of 40 farm unions – will hold a meeting in Delhi on March 14 to decide the future course of action if the remaining promises made to the farmers by the Centre are not met.

Also Read | PM Narendra Modi Speaks to Father of Naveen Shekarappa, Who Died in Shelling in Ukraine.

Farmer leader and SKM core committee member Shiv Kumar Kakka hailed Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and the city government for withdrawing cases lodged against farmers during the movement.

"It is a good move, and we thank the Delhi government and the L-G for this effort. This move has given us hope that other promises such as formation of a committee on MSP will also be met," Kakka told PTI.

Also Read | Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai Reaches Out to Family of Indian Student ‘Naveen Shekharappa’ Killed in Ukraine.

He demanded that the Centre should also issue instructions to other state governments such as Madhya Pradesh to withdraw cases lodged against farmers during the movement.

The Delhi government has approved the withdrawal of 17 cases registered during the anti-farm law stir, including one involving last year's Republic Day violence, a senior official said on Tuesday.

He said the file related to the cases was sent by Lt Governor Anil Baijal's office to Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain on January 31.

It was approved by Jain and sent to the Chief Minister's Office on February 25. The CMO sent the file to the L-G office on February 28 and it was approved the same day, the officer said.

Kakka said other promises made by the central government to the farmers are still not met.

The Centre is yet to act on its promise of forming a committee on MSP, granting compensation to farmers who died during the stir and others, he said.

"We are waiting for elections to get over, and then on March 14, the SKM will hold a meeting to pressure the central government to fulfil other promises as well. Future course of the action will also be decided in the meeting," Kakka added.

Another farmer leader and SKM member Abhimanyu Kohar said withdrawing cases lodged against farmers was a welcome step.

"Though it came a little late but it is a commendable move. This will help in bridging the trust deficit between the government and the farmers," Kohar said.

He said the Centre should also make efforts to consider other demands of the farmers which include a legal guarantee on MSP, land for a memorial for farmers and expulsion of Union minister Ajay Mishra Teni from the Cabinet.

Thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, laid siege at Delhi borders in November 2020 demanding that the Centre withdraw the three farm laws. The protest ended in December 2021 after the Narendra Modi government withdrew the farm laws.

The protesting farmers had refused to clear the protest sites as they demanded the withdrawal of cases lodged against them, legal guarantee on MSP, and a compensation to the kin of farmers who died during the course of the protest among others.

The Centre, on December 9 last year, agreed to consider their other demands, and after that, the SKM announced the suspension of its agitation.

The farmers had started leaving for home from December 11, 2021.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)